Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board granted an earlier effective date of October 2, 2015 for the grant of service connection for lumbar sprain and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to good cause shown for the Veteran's failure to file a Notice of Disagreement within one year of the initial denial.

The Board granted service connection for lumbar strain and tinnitus disabilities, dismissed the appeal for depression, and denied the claim for a left eye condition. The Board also granted service connection for sleep apnea.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability, neck disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, right ankle disability, left leg shin splints, bilateral plantar fasciitis, right pinky finger disability, hypertension, tuberculosis, and GERD. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Board granted restoration of service connection for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Lumbar Spine Degenerative Disc Disease, finding that the severance of these conditions was improper.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis.

The Board granted increased ratings of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain and 20 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve. The claim for service connection for right knee strain was remanded.

The Board remands the claims for an initial rating higher than 50 percent for an unspecified anxiety disorder with alcohol dependence, and service connection for a low back disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, and right knee disability due to pre-decisional errors of the duty to assist.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and cervical spine disorder, finding no evidence of a relationship between these conditions and his active duty service.

The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine condition, including secondary to a service-connected left knee disability, for further development and an adequate VA medical examination.

The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disorder to obtain an addendum opinion that adequately considers the Veteran's medical history and evidence of record.

The Board granted the restoration of service connection for left shoulder benign scapulothoracic crepitus and remanded other issues for further consideration.

The Board dismissed the appeals regarding the propriety of proposed reductions in evaluations for lumbosacral strain and rhinitis, as well as denied a compensable rating for sinusitis.

The Board granted service connection for left and right sciatica radicular pain, a disability rating of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain, and remanded the claim for a higher rating for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The Board remands the claim for a new VA medical opinion to determine whether the Veteran's pre-existing back condition was clearly and unmistakably aggravated by service.

The appeal was dismissed due to the lack of a timely appeal for increased ratings and earlier effective dates, making the December 2023 rating decision final.

The Board denied service connection for depression, an anxiety disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a back disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as there is no evidence of current diagnoses or symptoms reasonably associated with these conditions.

The Board granted initial ratings for lumbosacral degenerative disc disease and radiculopathies but denied an increased rating for PTSD. The claims for service connection for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome were remanded.

The claims for service connection for a back condition, left knee condition, and right ankle condition are remanded to provide the Veteran with notice of her right to a hearing regarding these claims.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee disability and low back disability as there was no evidence of these conditions manifesting during service or being etiologically related to service.

The Board remands the appeal for an initial rating higher than 60 percent for Type 1 diabetes mellitus and dismisses the appeals for service connection and higher ratings for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, lumbosacral strain, and right shoulder strain due to untimely notices of disagreement.